Water = Life, yet some have lost their access to a vital resource!

What was meant to be a simple holiday visiting family in Vanuatu became one of the scariest times of our lives, but on reflection, this is nothing compared to what was left behind.

We were in Port Vila on what was meant to be a holiday to visit family and friends on December 17th, 2024, when the 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit. We were separated from our immediate family for at least three hours, and it took a further eleven hours to contact family back in New Zealand to let them know we were unhurt. Thankfully, the New Zealand Government evacuated us two days later, but we did not quite understand the magnitude of what we were leaving behind.

Fast forward to 2025, I returned to Vanuatu to check in on family and friends to find that the Village we reside in, is still left without access to any water supply - the children are walking 30 mins each way to gather water from a nearby source.

Water is a basic essential to life and it should have been on the priority list to be sorted. As it hasn't, we have spoken to a local installer who is happy and able to drill down to obtain bore water and install the necessary pump — bringing back an essential life-sustaining element.

We want to raise enough funds to be able to restore water in Mele Village (as a start), however if enough funds are raised we will look to help other Villages restore water access.

Our children are from Vanuatu and our connection to this country runs deep.

We are fortunate to be in a position to help in a small way.